Domain 1: Planning and Preparation
Overview:
This domain highlights the importance of planning and preparation as a part of a teacher’s responsibility. In order to teach well, the teacher must fully understand the content that is being taught, as well as how to teach that content through the use of proper pedagogy. To select the best teaching method, the teacher must demonstrate a knowledge of his or her students. Once a teacher is familiar with the learning methods and strengths/weaknesses of their students, that teacher is able to set appropriate instructional outcomes. Once the teacher knows what they want the students to know, the teacher is able to design coherent instruction that will benefit the students. After the students have been taught the content, it is important to assess the learning. To do this, the teacher must be able to design student assessment that will best show how much each student learned.
1a. Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy
This aspect of the Framework describes what the educator teaches and how they go about teaching it. This is extremely important to instruction because if a teacher does not understand what they are teaching, then they may lead the students to make misconceptions or not have the answers to students’ questions. If a teacher knows the content well, but does not know how to teach, then the students will not benefit from the teacher’s knowledge. It is vital that a teacher knows how to teach, just as it is vital that the educator knows what they are teaching.
1b. Demonstrating Knowledge of Students
A teacher that is knowledgeable about both content and pedagogy can be a good instructor, but a good teacher knows their students. To be a teacher of impact, it is important that educators spend time getting to know their students. Each student has a different learning style, different likes and dislikes, and a different background. Before a teacher can impart his or her knowledge to a student, they must know how that student learns best in order for learning to be successful.
1c. Setting Instructional Outcomes
This aspect of the Framework ties directly into aspect 1b because if a teacher does not know his or her students, the teacher will not be able to set instructional outcomes that are suitable to each unique class. A teacher should have high, but attainable expectations of the students. A high, but attainable goal will look different for every student, so it is up to the teacher to get to know the students and figure out what that outcome will look like.
1d. Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources
There are numerous resources that educators may utilize to provide the best learning experience for their students, so it is vital that teachers demonstrate knowledge of these resources. This ties right into aspect 1a because a teacher must demonstrate knowledge of their content and pedagogy to use the resources correctly in a lesson plan. Resources for student use may look like manipulatives for solving math problems, or lab equipment for science. However, the teacher must know when to incorporate these elements into the lesson to ensure that the resource adding to learning.
1e. Designing Coherent Instruction
Designing coherent instruction is really the result of all the previous aspects of Domain 1. To design a coherent lesson plan a teacher must; have knowledge of content and pedagogy, demonstrate knowledge of the students, set instructional outcomes, and demonstrate knowledge of resources. Without one of these elements, the lesson no longer makes sense, and the students will not learn effectively. However, with the proper use of all the previous aspects, an educator can provide a lesson plan that is instructional, fun, engaging, and that will impact the students.
1f. Designing Student Assessment
To design a successful assessment to see whether a student really grasps a concept, the teacher must excel in designing student assessment. When doing this, the teacher must demonstrate a keen knowledge of the students. Each student learns differently and each student responds differently to assessment, so it is important that the teacher shows creativity in assessment design to ensure that each student can relay what they learned.
D. (n.d.). The Framework. Retrieved October 28, 2018, from http://www.danielsongroup.org/